CrowThough not generally perceived as graceful, crows are remarkably so—a single curve undulates from the tip of the bird’s beak to the end of its tail. They take flight almost without effort, flapping their wings easily and ascending into the air like spirits. Crow by Boria Sax is a celebration of the crow and its relatives in myth, literature, and life. Sax takes readers into the history of crows, detailing how in a range of cultures, from the Chinese to the Hopi Indians, crows are bearers of prophecy. For example, thanks in part to the birds’ courtship rituals, Greeks invoked crows as symbols of conjugal love. From the raven sent out by Noah to the corvid deities of the Eskimo, from Taoist legends to Victorian novels and contemporary films, Sax’s book ranges across history and culture and will interest anyone who has ever been intrigued, puzzled, annoyed, or charmed by these wonderfully intelligent birds. |
From inside the book
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Page 10
... single truth . Of course , we are not talking about creeds here but about cultural perspectives . The ' blind men ' here are illustrious poets , scientists , priests , painters ... And they are not examining an elephant ; they are ...
... single truth . Of course , we are not talking about creeds here but about cultural perspectives . The ' blind men ' here are illustrious poets , scientists , priests , painters ... And they are not examining an elephant ; they are ...
Page 11
... single feather dropped to the ground and the raven flew off . As Kilham stopped to reload his gun , the raven returned and flew over his head . The purplish remains of cranberries the raven had been eating fell on his hat , and Kilham ...
... single feather dropped to the ground and the raven flew off . As Kilham stopped to reload his gun , the raven returned and flew over his head . The purplish remains of cranberries the raven had been eating fell on his hat , and Kilham ...
Page 13
... single curve , which changes rhyth- mically as the crow turns its head or bends toward the ground . The best known members of the genus Corvus are the car- rion crow ( Corvus corone corone ) , the hooded crow ( Corvus corone cornix ) ...
... single curve , which changes rhyth- mically as the crow turns its head or bends toward the ground . The best known members of the genus Corvus are the car- rion crow ( Corvus corone corone ) , the hooded crow ( Corvus corone cornix ) ...
Page 14
... single species . The reason they are not is mostly a matter of geography . To belong to a single species , animals must habitu- ally interbreed , but the carrion crow and the American crow are separated by oceans . The American crow is ...
... single species . The reason they are not is mostly a matter of geography . To belong to a single species , animals must habitu- ally interbreed , but the carrion crow and the American crow are separated by oceans . The American crow is ...
Page 23
... single pair . Each crow has a special call by which it is recognized by its companions . Furthermore , crows are remarkable mimics . They copy the calls of owls and probably other animals in the wild , and crows in captivity have been ...
... single pair . Each crow has a special call by which it is recognized by its companions . Furthermore , crows are remarkable mimics . They copy the calls of owls and probably other animals in the wild , and crows in captivity have been ...
Contents
Mesopotamia | 31 |
Egypt Greece and Rome | 38 |
The European Middle Ages and Renaissance | 55 |
Asia | 80 |
Native American Culture | 90 |
The Romantic Era | 102 |
Lord of the Crows | 128 |
The Twentieth Century and Beyond | 144 |
164 | |
Bibliography | 168 |
Websites | 175 |
Associations | 177 |
Acknowledgements | 178 |
Photo Acknowledgements | 179 |
180 | |
Timeline | 162 |
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Common terms and phrases
Ages and Renaissance American crow animals Apollo appear archaic associated Athena Badbh battle beak became behaviour birds body carrion crow Celtic colour common raven corone corvids creatures crow Corvus crow or raven crows and ravens culture dead death deity divination Emperor Ernest Thompson Seton especially Europe fable farmers feathers fields flew genus Corvus Ghost Dance goddess Gogh Greek Grimm Brothers heaven hero hooded crow Horapollo human illustration Indians Inuit Irish J. J. Grandville jackdaw Jacob de Voragine killed king legend live London Lorenz magpie medieval Middle Ages myths Native Americans natural history nests nineteenth century Noah numbers O'Casey Odin painted pecking perched perhaps poem popular probably prophet raven or crow Roman rooks scarecrow scaring scientists Seton shows Silverspot sometimes story symbol tale tell told traditions tree twentieth century wings wolves wrote young
Popular passages
Page 29 - One for sorrow, Two for mirth, Three for a wedding, Four for a birth.